Spiral surface game

ABSTRACT

THE PRESENT GAME IS PLAYED BY MANUALLY HOLDING THE HANDLE OF THE PRESENT GAME HOUSING, INSERTING ONE BALL AT A TIME IN THE UPPER OPEN END OF THE HANDLE, MANUALLY MANIPULATING THE GAME IN AN EFFORT TO MOVE THE INSERTED BALL ALONG A SPIRAL PATH, PAST OBSTRUCTIONS, AVOIDING AS MANY HOLES IN THE PATH AS POSSIBLE IN AN EFFORT TO REACH THE CENTER OR END HOLE OF THE PATH WITH THE BALL AND WHEN THE BALL DROPS THROUGH ONE OF THE HOLES, TILTING THE GAME TO MOVE THE BALL OUT OF THE BOTTOM OPEN END OF THE HANDLE, REPEATING WITH OTHER BALLS AND ADDING THE SCORE FROM INDICIA ALONGSIDE THE OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH THE BALLS HAVE DROPPED.

United States Patent .0

3,552,750 SPIRAL SURFACE GAME Edward Lomberk, 569 Horseneck Road, Montville, NJ. 07045, and Edgar C. Rosston, 543 W. 215th St, New York, N.Y. 10034 Filed Aug. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 752,354 Int. Cl. A63b 67/08 US. Cl. 273--112 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present game is played by manually holding the handle of the present game housing, inserting one ball ata time in the upper open end of the handle, manually manipulating the game in an etfort to move the inserted ball along a spiral path, past obstructions, avoiding as many holes in the path as possible in an eiiort to reach the center or end hole of the path with the ball and when the ball drops through one of the holes, tilting the game to move the ball out of the bottom open end of the handle, repeating with other balls and adding the score from indicia alongside the openings through which the balls have dropped.

The present invention is concerned with a game of skill to be manually held and manipulated during play.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a game to be held in one hand by the player and after a ball has been inserted in the game, the player by tilting the game in various directions will cause the ball to move by gravity along a prescribed path over bumps and along baffles, while avoiding as many openings in the path as possible trying to reach an end hole and the exit of the game.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a manually supported and operated game for moving each of a series of balls along a given path past openings toward a target opening and which game has said path enclosed but exteriorly visible and the game can be economically produced from three pieces of which two of the pieces are similar.

Still further objects of the invention will be in part obvious and inpart pointed out in the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the present game;

FIG. 2 is a handle end view of the game;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4-4 of lfIG. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing in which like and corresponding parts are designated by similar reference chaacters, numeral 1 general designates the top member of the game housing, 2 generally designates the bottom member which is similar to top member, and 3 generally designates the intermediate member or partition.

Top member 1 has an annular top plate 4 with annular wall 5 depending from and extending around and normal to the peripheral edge of plate 1. A semi-circular upper handle portion 6 extends radially from wall 5. Plate 1, wall 5 and handle portion 6 are integral and can be formed of one piece of plastic, for example.

Bottom member 2 is similar to top member 1 and has an annular bottom plate 7 with annular wall 8 depending from and extending around and normal to the peripheral edge of plate 7. A semi-circular lower handle portion 9 extends radially from wall 8. Plate 7, wall 8 and handle portion 9 are integral and can be formed of one piece of plastic, for example disc 6a extends across the outer Nice ends of handle portions 6 and 9 and has openings 6b and 60.

Intermediate annular plate 10 has its marginal portion positioned between annular flanges 12 and 13 integral with and extending normal from Walls 5 and 8, respectively. Plate 10 has an integral rectangular radial portion 11 positioned between flanges 12a and 13a of handle portions 6 and 9, respectively.

Top member 1, bottom member 2 and intermediate member 3 are preferably made of a transparent plastic with flanges 12, 13 and 12a, 13a attached to the peripheral marginal portions of intermediate member 3 and radial portion 11, respectively, by an epoxy or other suitable adhesive, heat seal fusing, or other conventional connecting means.

Intermediate member annular plate 10 has a plurality of concentric circular guide walls 14 integral therewith and extending perpendicular thereto. A straight wall 15 connects wall 5 adjacent one side of handle upper portion 6 and the outer end of the outermost guide wall 14, straight wall 16 connects the inner end of the outermost guide wall 14 with an end of the intermediate guide wall 14, and a straight wall 17 connects the other end of said intermediate guide Wall with an end of the inner guide wall 14. Said straight walls 15, 17 are also integral with and extend perpendicular from plate 10 Plate 10 also has a plurality of spaced apart flanges 18 provided integral therewith and extending normal thereto. Said flanges are positioned to extend on a slant from walls 5 and walls 14. Also plate 10 has a plurality of bevelled openings 19 ovided therethrough positioned at irregular points between the walls 5 and 14, but leaving a space between adjacent openings 19 sufiicient for the passage of a ball -B. Also an end or center opening 20 is provided through the center of plate 10. Each of said openings in large enough for a ball B to pass therethrough. At positions between adjacent openings 19 there are provided series of raised bumps 21 as shown in FIG. 4 in plate 10.

In playing the present game, a player grasps handle 6, 9 in one hand and inserts a ball in the opening 6b between plate 11 and handle portion 6. Wall 5 has a semi-circular opening therein in line with the inner side of handle portion 6 so that the ball can be caused to roll along the spiral path provided by Walls 5, 14 to 17 by the player tilting the game. The player also tilts the game in various directions in an effort to get the ball past as many openings 19 as possible and reach opening 20. However, the ball in its travel will be deflected by the bumps 21 and baffles 18 increasing the difficulty in guiding the ball towards the center of plate 10. After the ball passes through one of the openings 19 Or opening 20 it can be guided by tilting the handle downwardly so that the ball will roll out the opening in wall 8 in line with plate 11 and handle portion 9 as well as along handle portion 9 and out opening 60. Thereafter a second ball is introduced into the game and further balls in turn, repeating the play as described for the first ball.

As each ball played passes through an opening 19 or 20 the numbered indicia alongside the opening is recorded and the resulting score added up and totaled after a given number of plays. Other players can use the game or similar games to provide competition by determining the highest score for the players as the winner. The numbered indicia can be printed or embossed on the plate 10.

The top member 1 and bottom member 2 are of the same configuration, size and depth. The depth of said members 1 and 2, that is, the space between plate 4 and member 10 and that between plate 7 and member 10 is determined by the diameter of the balls to be used, as is the space between walls 14 to 17, as the balls should have sufficient clearance to move freely in said space. Also walls 14 to 17 should have suflicient height to pre J vent the ball from jumping thereover. In fact walls 14 to 17 can touch or almost touch plate 4 and will give additional stability to said plate.

The present game is capable of considerable modification and such changes thereto as come within the scope of the appended claims is deemed to be a part of the invention.

We claim:

1. A manually supported game comprising an annular hollow housing having an intermediate partition across the interior thereof, said partition having a spiral passage on one face thereof, openings therethrough and along said passage and obstructions in said passage and a hollow open end handle attached to said housing with said partitions extending in said handle and the interiors of said handle and said housing being in communication and at least one ball capable of passing along said passage and through any one of said openings, an aperture means being provided in said handle to allow the external insertion of a ball into said handle from one side of said partition and also the removing of a ball from the handle on the other side of said partition.

2. A manually supported game as claimed in claim 1 wherein said partition spiral passage is provided by a wall extending normal to said partition and from one interior side of said handle towards the center of said partition.

3. A manually supported game as claimed in claim 1 wherein said partition spiral passage is provided by concentric circular walls and straight walls attached to ends 4 of said circular and straight walls and said walls extending normal to said partition. I H r r v 4. A manually supported game as claimed in claim 1 wherein said obstructions consist of baffles extending into said passageway and bumps on said partition.

5. A manualy supported game as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing is provided by two opposed, but similar, members each having a fiat annular plate, an annular wall depending from said plate and a semi-circular handle portion extending radially from said wall with said partition positioned between the walls and handle portions of both members and attached thereto.

6. A manually supported game as claimed in claim 1 including scoring indicia on said partition adjacent each of said openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 351,137 10/1886 Tranchell 273-l 16 1,768,016 6/1930 Walker 273X FOREIGN PATENTS 18,822 8/1910 Great Britain 273 -113 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner T. ZACK, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 273-113 

